A Series of Unfortunate Misunderstandings
by Erika Dyer
Summary: Erik and Christine both live in the small village of St Simone. They both love each other, but finding true love will not be an easy path for these two, as fate seems determined to keep them apart.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Sad though it may be, I do not own POTO ):**

_Hello everybody, and welcome to my new story. I wrote this in August by a pool in Madeira, when I had loads of time, and i have only just finished it. I am currently writing loads of stuff, but only want to submit finished stories, as i am terrible at updating, an i know how annoying it is when somone takes forever to update. _

_This story is an EC romance, but they will go through many problems before their happily ever after, as the title kind of suggests. It's AU so if you don't like that, don't read. However, perhaps you should give it ago, and you might change your mind. _

This story begins in the town of St Simone in Northern France. This small market town was one of those few places left in the world where everybody knew everybody, be they friends or not. There was no such thing as a secret in St Simone, and no one was a stranger.

Erik Gaston gazed down at all the tiny houses from his hilltop house, failing to be moved by the beauty of the place he called home. The sweeping hills and clear blue sky no longer brought any emotion forth. If he was honest with himself, he had grown tired of the place years ago, and ordinarily he would have moved on. It was in his nature to be traveling as he grew restless if he was in one place for too long. He knew he would have done so long. If it were not for one thing, he knew he would have done just that. St Simone was the first place he had ever received any measure of the acceptance he had craved for so long, and he supposed he had grown used to the quiet routine of the place.

He had lived here for just over 15 years, coming close to half his life. Erik credited much of his acceptance due to all the money he had put into the village in the past few years. When he had first arrived, the place was close to poverty, employment was low, and crime was high. As a consequence of Erik's wealth, the town thrived, and he had been accepted by the rest of the town, mask and all.

When he had first arrived, all that time ago, a young man of just one and twenty, he had decided to stay. St Simone was close to becoming a ghost town. Many off the town's people had left, most having gone to Paris, which was only about half a day's travelling away, and the rest were either very old, or very young. Erik however found the town a perfect place for hiding, due to the many empty houses, and dark streets.

After a chance encounter with the town's Mayor, Richard Moncharmin, he had agreed to allow Erik to stay, in exchange for backing the town financially. Erik stayed quiet about how he had acclaimed his vast wealth. If Moncharmin knew where it had been acquired, Erik was sure he would be much less inclined to allow him to stay in his town. Erik now practically ran the town, such was Moncharmin's ineptitude.

Erik had slowly been accepted into the town, even if most of the residents had never actually seen him in person. He had kept up his reclusive habits, never wishing to venture into the village. He had everything he could possibly wish for up here, and his manservant Jacque would get him anything he required from the village. The only other people he saw were various business associates, enabling him to enlarge his already immense wealth. As well as assisting Moncharmin with the running of the town, he was an architect, designing houses for the aristocracy, and the generally filthy rich. He had built up an excellent reputation over the years, and so his reclusive habits did not affect his business. People were clamoring to have a house built by him. Ever since rumor had come out that he had designed a palace for the Shah in Persia when he was just 19 years old, he had become one of the most famous architects in Europe. If only they knew it wasn't't simply a palace he had built, they would be much less inclined to desire his services, he thought with a sly grin

St Simone's only attraction appeared to be that of a musical act of father and daughter. Gustav Daae, a violinist originally from Sweden, and his young daughter, Christine. The duo apparently wowed audiences from afar with their combined talents. Erik was skeptical to say the least.

After he had been given the chance to see this act, he was forced to change this opinion. Not one for admitting he was wrong about anything, Erik conceded that he would have to accept he was in this case. Gustav, and the singing angel, and the town's folk dubbed them were in a word, phenomenal, and Erik was very hard to please, especially when it came to music. Music was everything to him. Without it, he would simply have nothing to live for.

Christine was 8 years old when Erik first met her and her father. She was tiny, with a head of curly blonde hair, and huge blue eyes. Gustav was a man in his late 40s, although he looked considerably older, his failing health most likely due to the death of his wife a few years previous, who he had evidently loved very much. When this duo had been presented to him by Moncharmin as the greatest thing ever to come out of St Simone, Erik wasn't't surprised the town was close to poverty. He had never seen such an odd pairing in a musical act in all his life. Preparing himself for what would no doubt be an insult to music, he waited for them to begin. What resulted was quite simply magic. As Gustav lifted an incredibly battered violin, which had most definitely seen better days, and began to play. The haunting melody was outstanding, and Erik was highly impressed. That was before Christine sang however. Beautiful was the only word he could think of to describe it. Truly beautiful. As soon as she opened her mouth and sang, he was mesmerized by her. The innocence and purity in her voice reminded him of all he was not, and he had never heard anything so beautiful in all his life. He knew her voice would get even better over time, and with the right training could surpass every singer in the world.

After hearing them, he had immediately offered to give little Christine singing lessons, after saying how incredible her voice was. After this, Gustav would bring his daughter up the winding hill to Erik's place for the lessons every day.

Fifteen years later the lessons were still going strong, although there really was no need. Christine's voice had surpassed even Erik's highest expectations. Now 23 years old, Christine had grown into an incredibly beautiful woman, with a face to match her exquisite voice. She still had those big blue innocent eyes, which often glittered with laughter, and a long waterfall of silvery blonde hair, cascading down her back. She was considered the most beautiful woman in St Simone, and many said she was the most beautiful woman in the whole of France. Erik however knew differently. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Ever man wanted her, and ever woman wanted to be her. Christine Daae's hand in marriage was the most sought after prize in the whole of St Simone, and in much of the surrounding land as well. Talk of her beauty had spread far and wide. The angel of St Simone, with a voice that could captivate any man, and a face so heavenly, once you looked upon it, it was impossible to tare your gaze away.

The man who won Christine's hand, and more importantly her heart, would be a lucky man indeed. Her many suitors had not interfered in her singing lessons, much to Erik's relief. She seemed almost as devoted to developing her voice as he was. She had never missed a lesson, and was late very rarely. During the lessons, Erik had her undivided attention. Very few men got to spend so much time with her, and it should have pleased him that he was permitted to gaze upon her beauty every day. It of course would be the perfect excuse to court her, and set about to win her for himself. Any normal man would have done so in an instant, but Erik was not like normal men. His face had prevented that from ever happening.

He knew that at some point their lessons would have to come to an end. Christine was destined for greatness, and it was only a matter of time before she left St Simone, and him forever, in search of Stardom. This was what he wanted for her. For the world to hear her sing had been his goal ever since he had first met her. There was one problem however. He was completely and utterly, and hopelessly in love with her.

A great emphasis was on the word hopeless. A man like him would never win the love of one such as Christine, especially with every man in the land vying for her hand. Christine could have any man she desired. There was no way she would choose to spend her life with a man so ugly he had to wear a mask to cover his face.

Over the years he had managed to accept his own hideousness, to some extend anyway. Long ago, he had resigned himself to the fact that no one could love him, no matter how much he may long for it. He had learned to accept his fate. He had learned to be lonely, and had reached a point of contentment in his life. Not happy perhaps, but content. Happiness was not meant for one such as him, just as love was not. He had his music, and his architecture, and that was all he would ever need.

All of that changed when Christine came into his life. The small child had managed to burrow her way into his heart from an early stage. Her sunny disposition and bubbly personality often made him laugh, something he didn't ever remember doing before he met her. Erik had always been a creature of darkness. Darkness was the only friend he had. It protected him from the rest of the world, who stared at him in horror, and it accepted him into its cold embrace like no one else ever had. Christine however was sunlight itself, and it seemed that she even managed to give some of that light to him. Whenever she was with him, he was the closest to happy he had ever been. Christine seemed to have accepted that he wore the mask, and never spoke of it. He suspected that this was due to her father telling her not to, but he appreciated it never the less.

He was even sure he knew the day he fell in love with her, or at least the day he finally acknowledged the fact. A 17 year old Christine had come for her daily lesson, wearing a simple, but exquisitely fitted light blue dress, which showed off her figure wonderfully, emphasizing her perfect breasts, her tiny waist, and wide hips. He had been mesmerized, having been used to seeing her in her more childish dresses, which swamped her petite form. Until that day, he had never thought of her as anything but a child. One he cared a great deal about, but a child nevertheless. It was clear the girl had become a woman however, and what a woman! After that day things were never the same again.

He could not keep his eyes off her. Now, he was not only captivated by her angel's voice, but her exquisite beauty as well. He supposed that must have been when he began to truly fall in love with her as a man loves a woman. He had not been the only man to see her blossoming womanhood unfortunately. Every man in Paris seemed to be in love with her. Erik knew that he was the only one who truly loved her though. All they wanted was her body, and the status that came with having such a woman on their arm. Christine was nothing but a prize to be won for them, a challenge to face. None of them knew her. Her loves, her hates. Her dreams and desires. He knew all of these things. He knew she dreamt of becoming a prima donna at the opera Garnier in Paris. He knew that singing was her life, and made her feel alive. He knew she hated olives and mushrooms, and loved chocolate, and pasta. She loved the sea, animals, the colour red, and curling up with a good book when there was a storm outside, and her favorite flowers were roses. He knew that she could not sit still for longer than 10 minutes, without having to do something. She hated people who were dishonest, and those who were cruel for no reason. As well as these things, he knew how she smelt. A mixture of rose water, and her own natural scent, which was purely Christine. She had claimed his heart long ago, and he was never getting it back. He knew it was his fate to be alone however, and Christine could never be his, no matter what he did.

Over the years he felt that he knew all there was to know about her, although he was always eager to learn more. The one last thing he knew was that there was not a man on earth who could love her like he did, but that she could never be his. It was impossible for her to love him in return, and he wanted Christine to be with someone to whom she could give all her heart, and that certainly wasn't't him. There was nothing lovable about him what so ever. .

He shuddered in fear when he thought about what people would think if they knew that he was in love with Christine, along with what seemed to be every other man in France. A hideous monster in love with a beautiful angel! It was unthinkable. No doubt he deserved to burn in hell for all eternity for so much as dreaming that Christine could belong to him, but dream he did. Late at night under the protection of darkness, he would allow his dreams to take place. Through his mind he would drift off into another world. One where Christine was his wife, and had somehow found a way to love him. In this dream, she permitted him to kiss those cherry red lips of hers, and she would welcome him into her arms, smiling sweetly up at him, desire in her beautiful blue eyes. He tried not to allow these dreams to enter his head too much. He would no doubt go insane if he did, longing for something which could never be. Christine would never be his, and he must accept it, and brace his heart for when it would inevitably break when she left St Simone, and him in search of her own dreams at the Paris opera.

He knew that the day she left would be the day he would die. Perhaps not physically. That may take a while longer, but the day she left, he would die inside. Christine had held his heart for so long, and she would take it with wherever she went. There was no way he could live without her, even though he knew they could never be together.

For so long he had lived alone, but she had brought light and laughter into his lonely existence and showed him what life could be like with love in it, and he knew that he could never be content in his loneliness again. It was only a matter of time before she left, and he dreaded that day with all his heart.

**Remember to review! As I said, it's pretty much finished, so the more reviews, the quicker the updates will be. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own POTO ):**

_Thanks for the reviews! This chapter is mainly Christine's POV. _

"Merde!"

Slamming the door of her bedroom, Christine flung herself down on the bed in a heap of silken petticoats. She had had enough. If one more man came to see her with a bunch of flowers, she would take them and throw them in their face, or tell them to stick them where the sun didn't shine!

Just as she was about to bury her head in the pillow, in order to scream into it, what sounded like a stone thudded against her window.

_Fantastic! _She thought to herself. If that was who she thought it was, then she would blow a fuse. Wrenching open the French windows to her Romeo and Juliet style balcony, as she liked to call it, she gazed down through the darkness at the figure crouched in the bushes. Romeo he certainly was not.

"Christine!" He hissed. "Christine my love, I must see you."

"Percy, will you please leave me alone. I told you not to come here anymore." Percival Simmons, yet another of the men so determined to court her, stood trampling her favourite rosebush, brandishing a bouquet of daffodils.

"I cannot Christine. I must see you now! I cannot stop thinking about you. I love you!" Oh dear Lord, what was he on about? Never had she heard such nonsense. He had known her just over two weeks. He could not possibly be in love with her. He did not know her at all.

"Percy! How can you love me? You do not know me, and I do not know you. You are just like every other man in this dratted town, and I refuse to become a trophy to you or anyone else. Do not speak of love to me when you have no idea of that which you speak. Goodnight sir. I sincerely hope we do not meet again!" With that she slammed the doors shoot, and drew the curtains together aggressively. If someone had seen the exchange, then they would probably think she was being unnecessarily cruel. They did not know the whole story however. Percy was not the love sick young pup he appeared. In an overheard conversation she had heard him having with another man she had heard him talking about her in very crude terms. She had learned a lot about men from that conversation, and she had decided that she wanted nothing to do with them. There was only one she would ever want anyway, and her chances with him seemed as far away as the sun was from the moon.

Even though she had shut the doors, Percy still did not seem to have gotten the message however, and proceeded to serenade her in what she considered an absolute abuse to music. She could not even make out the tune, so out of it young Percy was. She wanted to throw something out of the window at him, but restrained. He would leave at some point. They all did eventually.

At first she had found it flattering that so many men seemed to find her so attractive, but she had quickly grown tired of it. She knew they didn't truly love her. All they cared about was her so called beauty and not a whit for anything else. Of course some were better than others, and she even found herself mildly attracted to one or two. This attraction was always fleeting however, and it was not long before they fell short of her ideal, and that ideal was incredibly hard to beat. All the charm and good looks in the world could not capture her heart, for that had been taken from her long ago. How ironic it was that the only man she loved, or would ever love, seemed to be the only man in St Simone who did not love her. There would never be anyone in the world she would love like Erik Gaston. For fifteen years she had known that he was the only man for her. Her masked music teacher was everything to her, but it appeared that he did not feel the same for her.

It was because of Erik that she had stayed in St Simone for so long. Unbeknownst to him or anyone else, she had had a few offers to join the chorus at the Opera Garnier in Paris over the years, and even though singing at the opera was one of her greatest wishes, the thought of leaving her beloved was too painful to bear. Deep down, she still hoped that Erik may come to love her, and they could be together. She knew she would never marry anyone else. As she grew older, the offers of marriage would dry up. With time her looks would fade, and with them any attraction she held from these men. If life was fair, then she could be with the man that she loved, but she had learned that life was not fair, and she would have to make the most of what she had.

The so called music lessons Erik gave her, had slowly progressed to simply an opportunity to make music together, and were not lessons at all anymore. Even she didn't think there was anything else she could possibly learn about singing. Erik never said anything about the lessons coming to an end, and she certainly wasn't going to breach the subject. If they ended then she didn't know when she would see him again. He never came into the village, and many people had never seen him. She knew that this was because of the mask he wore, and what was under it. To say that she could not care less what was under the mask was a lie. She _was _curious, of course she was, but she also knew that whatever was under there would not change how she felt about him one iota. He was simply Erik. The kindest, sweetest, most wonderful man in the world and to her he was gorgeous because of all these things.

Ever since she was 8 years old, when he first came to St Simone, she had been enthralled by him. He had always treated her as a person, and not a silly child to be humoured. When he had told her that she had the most beautiful voice he had ever heard, she had been so happy, and when he had offered to give her singing lessons, she had been thrilled. She was pretty sure the tall masked man had stolen her heart from that very moment

Over the years her love for him had grown into a different kind. The kind of a woman for a man, and she found herself wanting him as one wants a lover, although in her innocence, she didn't know what it was she wanted from him. It was just after she had turned 17 that she realized that if she didn't do something soon, then her chance with Erik would be over. Such an amazing man could not remain single forever. So she had given herself a complete makeover, and totally revamped her wardrobe. She threw out all her old childish clothes, and purchased all new dresses, which made the most of her blossoming figure, all in the hope that she would catch her beloved's eye, and he would begin to see her as a woman and not as the naïve child, he so obviously still believed her to be.

It all seemed to be pointless however, as Erik still seemed to take no interest in her whatsoever. She was close to despair, and nothing she did seemed to affect him. She made sure she always looked her best before each "lesson", wearing only her best gowns, and most flattering corsets with them. It was strange that all her efforts were for one man and one man alone, and yet he seemed to be the only man in St Simone who did not notice her, and it was driving her crazy.

She had finally reached the point in her life when she realized that her love would never be returned, and she should move on. She would travel to Paris, as she had always dreamed, and begin her career on the stage. Would he ever think of her? She wondered, sighing in despair. She hoped that he found someone who he could love, and who would love him in return. She knew how unaccepting and cruel the rest of the world could be to people like Erik. She hoped that the woman he eventually gave his heart too, would be able to give him all the love he deserved, and could learn to look past the mask to the man beneath. She wished him happiness, and that he would learn to smile more. He could seem so sad sometimes. His beautiful green eyes held a great amount of pain, which she knew she could never even begin to understand. She only hoped that the woman he loved would be able to change that look, and make him happy, even though it could never be her.

Her own future stretched before her, in the endless years of longing for Erik. She would try so hard to keep him from her mind, but she doubted that she could. Perhaps, over time, her memory would fade, and she would forget the man she loved so dearly. She laughed cynically as she prepared for bed, knowing that was as close to impossible as anything could be. Even though she was still young, and in many ways still acted like a child, she knew that she would never love anyone else.

………….

Christine was greeted the next morning by a loud knocking at her door. Groaning, she buried her head in the pillow, trying to block out the noise, but the knocking grew louder. Sighing in defeat, she hauled herself out of bed, and padded over to the door, where she was greeted by a very anxious looking Frances, her maid.

"Miss, you must come quick. It is your father. I don't know what to do." Christine was gripped with fear. The day she had feared for so long had finally come. Her father had been ill for the past 3 years, steadily getting worse and worse. No one seemed to be able to identify what was wrong, but ever since his arthritis had made it impossible for him to play his violin, he had seemed to give up on life. His only reason for living had been his violin, after his wife, and Christine's mother Irena had died. For the past few months things seemed to have become even worse. He barely ate anything, slept most of the day, and Christine was the only person in the house he spoke to at all. The only thing he ever did anymore was to bring Christine up the hill to Erik's for their daily music lesson.

Pulling on her robe, Christine hurried after Frances down the hall to her father's room. He was lying on the bed, as usual, breathing heavily, as if it was incredibly hard to do.

"I've called the doctor, and he should be here any minute, but he kept asking for you."

"Thank you, Frances. Could you go and wait for the doctor downstairs. I can stay with him now."

"Yes, Miss."

"Papa?" Christine sat down at the chair next to her father's bed. "Papa, can you hear me. It's Christine."

"Stina? Is that you?" Gustav murmured his pet name for her.

"Yes Papa. How are you feeling?" She knew it was a stupid question, but she could not think of anything else to say.

Gustav smiled weakly at her. "I've been better." The next second however, the doctor knocked on the door, and entered, followed by Frances. After checking him over, he took Christine over to one side, in order to speak to her.

"I'm afraid I don't know what to do any more, Mademoiselle. I can't find anything physically wrong with him. He just doesn't seem to want to live anymore." Christine began to sob, and Dr Roberts patted her gingerly, obviously uneasy in comforting crying women. "It is common in a man of his age. The only thing we can do now is to make him as comfortable as possible."

He left, after giving Christine some pills, with the instructions to give them to Gustav once every 4 hours. He told her that they should ease his breathing, and help him to sleep better.

Christine stayed with her father until he had fallen asleep. Crawling back into bed, she tried to go back to sleep, convinced that sleep would not come. She must have been more tired than she thought as the next thing she knew, the sun was streaming in through the window, and she could hear the sounds of movement down in the kitchen below. Stretching, she glanced over at the clock on her bed side table, and gasped in horror. She had completely missed her singing lesson with Erik. She had missed the only good thing going on in her life! Could life get any worse?

Dragging herself out of bed, she began to get ready. She wanted to go up and see Erik more than anything else, but as it was her father who usually brought her up the hill, she had no way of going. Bringing her to the music lessons was the only thing that Gustav did these days. If seemed that he wasn't even capable of doing that any more.

She wondered if Erik would think she had simply forgotten about the lesson, or that she had had a better offer, and decided not to come. She couldn't stand the thought of it. Even though she knew her feelings for him were far greater than his were for her, she still hadn't given up all hope of someday making him hers.

……………..

She had never been this late before, and Erik was getting more and more worried by the minute. Perhaps the time had come when she had finally become tired of their lessons, and found something else she would rather be doing, or someone else she would rather be with. It had been inevitable really. She wouldn't wish to keep on visiting a deformed monster for the rest of her life. Such a beautiful woman could do just about anything, be with just about anyone. No doubt she was out having fun with some young handsome man, and had not given him a second thought. Not that he could blame her, but his heart filled with pain all the same.

He began furiously playing his piano, taking out all of his pain on the music. Several hours later, he had finally concluded that she was not coming at all. This was the beginning of the end, and there was nothing he could do about it.

……………

Christine was restless. The doctor had told her that there was nothing more she could do for her father now. He was still sleeping, and showed no signs of waking up. She decided to pay a trip to the village, where she may bump into Jacque, Erik's manservant. If so, then she could pass on a message to Erik about where she had been earlier. She needed him so much, and wished she was with him right now. He always knew the right things to say, and she knew that his mere presence could make her feel a million times better. Gathering her coat and bag, she made her way into the village, in search of Jacques.

The tiny market town was buzzing, and she was waylaid several times by various people. Any questions about the health of her father were met with monosyllabic answers, giving nothing away. There was no way she was ready to talk about it. To do so would only confirm the severity of his condition.

She paid a visit to the fruit stall, the bakers, and a few other shops, not really paying any attention to what she bought, when she saw the familiar face of Jacques through the bustling crowd. Smiling for the first time all day, she attempted to make her way over to him, before he was swallowed up by the crowd. She scooted through the throngs of shoppers, every so often catching a glimpse of Jacque's thinning head, but a familiar voice in her ear waylaid her from reaching her goal.

"Well, well, if it isn't Little Lottie."

**Ohhh i wonder who it could be?? Cookies for those who quess right. **


	3. Chapter 3

_Well done everyone who quessed right *doles out cookies*_

Christine groaned and turned around.

"Hello Raoul."

"Christine, you look beautiful. Did you do something with your hair?"

"Thank you." She answered, as she craned her neck in search of Jacque, who seemed to have disappeared from view. "No I haven't." She sighed, realizing Jacque had gone. "How are you anyway?"

"All the better for seeing you, my dear." Raoul beamed at her, showing every one of his perfectly white teeth. "Would you like to go for some coffee? My treat."

Christine gave one last frantic glance around to see if she could see Jacque anywhere, but he had disappeared.

"I don't really have time Raoul. Sorry."

"Nonsense. Just a quick one. Please." Raoul actually pouted, his puppy dog eyes pleading with her, and being so weak willed, Christine agreed to the coffee.

Raoul was one of the few men she knew that she was actually fond of. This list excluding Erik, with whom she was madly in love. She had known Raoul since she was a child, and they had been great friends. Things had changed however, and Raoul had joined the ranks of all those love sick puppies following her everywhere. If he or any of them truly loved her, then they would know how to catch her attention. Simply plying her with flowers and gifts would not achieve that. There was nothing any of them could do anyway. Her masked tutor had stolen her heart 15 years ago, causing absolutely no hope for anyone else at all.

"Alright Raoul, but just a quick one. I need to be getting back soon. My father is ill, and I really should be with him."

"Oh, I'm sorry Christine. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, but thank you." She smiled at him, as he led her to a small café. "I'm very worried actually. I don't know what else I can do. I feel so helpless."

Raoul listened as she poured her heart about her father. The stress had finally gotten to her, and tears were running down her face.

She couldn't help feeling guilty as well. Not only was she using Raoul as someone to purge her worries about her father on, but it wasn't simply her father that was on her mind. Much of the reason she was crying was due to her hopeless love for Erik. Not that she mentioned this to Raoul. She wasn't that stupid.

After they had had several coffees, she was able to excuse herself, said goodbye, and made her way home, not noticing the eyes that had been watching her from across the court yard.

……………..

"So, did you see her?" Erik questioned Jacque as he came in the door. Erik had sent him out into the village to see if he could spot Christine. He knew she usually did some shopping on a Saturday. He had considered paying a visit to Christine's house, but his pride wouldn't let him. It would be too obvious that he was looking for her, and there was no way he wanted her to guess his true feelings. If that happened, then no doubt she would stop coming to see him at all.

"Yes sir, I saw her." Jacques answered, looking down at his feet, which he shifted awkwardly form side to side.

"And?" Erik snapped. "Was she alone? He asked, to which Jacques appeared to grow more nervous, and appeared to be become fascinated with something just over Erik's shoulder. "Answer me! Was she alone?"

"No sir. She was with mousier de Chagny. The youngest one, Raoul. His father owns Chagny wine."

"I know who de Chagny is!" Erik gritted his teeth in anger. "Thank you Jacque. You may go," Jacque took the opportunity to scarper as quickly as possible.

So his suspicions were correct. His darling Christine had found someone with whom she wished to spend her time. Someone young and handsome, who could offer her all that she dreamed of. All of his hopes and dreams were over, within a matter of moments. He had always known that this day would come, but it was still unbearably painful.

He wished that there was something bad he could say against Raoul de Chagny, but the truth was he could think of nothing. The boy was perfect. Wavy blond hair, baby blue eyes, a tall muscular physique, and from a very rich family, he was everything any woman would want in a man. His father, Charles de Chagny owned many vine yards in the area, and de Chagny wine was a well known very expensive wine. What made matters worse was that Raoul had known Christine since they were both children. If he claimed to love her, then he probably did, just as Erik did. Well, perhaps not quite as much as Erik did, as that was impossible. The boy still was not good enough for his Christine. No one was, least of all himself.

Although Erik was incredibly wealthy in his own right, Raoul could offer Christine everything she desired on every level. The only way that Erik thought he could have made Christine his wife was due to his wealth, and now he didn't even have that advantage. Raoul de Chagny had everything, and Erik hated him more than he had ever hated anyone in his life.

However, if the boy did truly love Christine as she deserved to be loved, then at least she would be happy. This gave him little comfort at the moment though, when his heart ached with love for her, and all he wanted was to make her his.

…….

The next morning, Christine rose early to check on her father. He had been in and out of sleep all day and most of the night. After talking with Frances, she arranged a carriage to bring her up to Erik's later in the day. She could not wait to see him, and tell him her worries. Talking to Raoul about her father had been good, but Erik would know all the right ways to comfort her, and the mere thought of being with the man she loved was enough to bring a smile to her face.

She was a little early when she arrived at Erik's. But she didn't care. Not having been able to speak to Jacque yesterday, she was eager to see Erik today, and explain why she had missed the lesson.

"Erik!"She called as stepped through the door. He had told her long ago to simply let herself in. Erik's place was like a second home to her anyway. "Erik!" She called again when she received no answer.

"I'm in here Christine." Came Erik's voice from behind the door of the music room

Usually, Erik would be by the piano, ready to begin their lesson, but this time he was nowhere to be seen.

"Erik?"

"By the window, Child." His voice sounded stiff, and businesslike. Oh how she hated it when he called her child!

"What are you doing over there, Erik?" She laughed, going over to the huge armchair by the window where Erik's voice had come from. He was sat in the armchair, looking out the window down towards the valley, a half filled glass of whiskey in his hand. He did not turn to look at her as she approached, and there was something in his voice that troubled her. Was he angry about yesterday? She felt bad about missing the lesson, but surely he would understand when she told him about her father.

"Erik, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was…"

"I know where you were!" He snapped.

"Oh." She replied, shocked that he seemed to know about her father already. Had Jacque heard from someone in the village? "Then you know about…"

"Yes, I know." He interrupted her once more.

She shuffled her feet nervously. He still had not looked at her. Something was definitely wrong. "I really wanted to talk to you actually. You always help me, and I value your advice."

She valued his advice! She actually wanted his help on winning the heart of de Chagny. She truly must know nothing of his feelings for her. Either that or she took pleasure in torturing him.

"I don't think so Christine. We really must begin our lesson, before we waste any more time." He stood up, and drained the rest of the glass, before setting it aside with a little more force than was necessary, and striding towards the piano.

Christine stood still, shocked. Was he really so angry over one missed singing lesson that he refused to listen to her worries over her father. Pain lanced through her heart, and she felt her eyes fill with tears. He truly did not care for her at all, and here she was thinking at the very least they were good friends. This was proof of what she was always feared. It had always been just her voice he cared about, and nothing more. If she had sounded like a frog then he would have paid no interest to her what so ever.

Erik began to play a familiar piece, which they had performed many times before, and Christine reluctantly sang along, but her heart was not in it, so her voice was not brilliant. Throughout the rest of the lesson she felt like bursting into tears, Erik's mood was so terrible, and it was so unlike him.

…….

Erik grimaced as Christine went off key yet again.

"I think we should leave it for today." He pushed down the lid to the piano. "We are getting nowhere."

"Oh." Christine replied, her words causing her more pain than she was already feeling. "Are you sure? Perhaps I could stay, and we could chat for a while." Even though he was being mean to her, she loved him, and wanted to stay with him.

"I really don't have time to chat, Christine. I have some very important work to do."

Christine had finally had enough. The tears that had been threatening to fall all lesson, finally began to cascade down her cheeks, and she wailed.

"Fine, Erik! If that's what you want then I'll go! I can tell when I'm not wanted!" She sniffed furiously, before carrying on. "Don't worry about me. Not that you will, i'm sure! There are plenty of men who do want my company! I'll be fine, and I don't need _you!_"

Grabbing her coat from the chair, she stormed out of the door to where her carriage was waiting, leaving Erik standing in the music room, stock still with shock at her unexpected outburst.

She hated Erik almost as much as she loved him at that moment. Why couldn't she have fallen in love with someone simple like Raoul? He was handsome enough, and rich, and he obviously adored her. She also cared about him to some extent. He had been her best friend until he had moved away with his father when he was eleven. The trouble was, she couldn't give a hoot about any of those things. All she cared about was Erik, even though he obviously couldn't have cared less about her.

She arrived back at the house, still in floods of tears.

"Christine?" Came a voice from the doorway. "Christine, are you alright?" Raoul's handsome face appeared from round the door, looking concerned.

"Oh, Raoul!" Christine wailed, not bothering to question why he was in her house. She threw herself into his arms, so happy to see a friendly face in all of the pain. "I just don't know what to do any more Raoul."

Happy to see just about anyone she knew well, she hung onto Raoul, sobs racking her body. He rubbed her back, and whispered soothing words in her ear, trying to calm her down. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Christine extracted herself from his arms, sniffing loudly. The last thing she wanted was to give Raoul any false hopes. The truth of the matter was that he could have been just about anybody, and she would have hugged them.

"I…I'm sorry Raoul. I must look such a mess." She wiped her eyes furiously.

"Don't be silly, Christine. You always look beautiful." He handed her a handkerchief, which she took gratefully. "I know you must be worried sick. He'll be fine, I'm sure."

It took her a second to realize what he was talking about, but that only brought a fresh batch of sobs to erupt. In all her worries about Erik, she had forgotten about her father. How could she be so selfish?

"Hush dear, it's alright." Raoul patted her back, clearly at a loss at what to do in this situation. .

"W...What are you doing here, anyway?" She sniffed. "You didn't know I was a blubbering mess before."

"It doesn't matter." Raoul spoke somberly. "It can wait."

"Oh, Ok. Thanks Raoul. You're a good friend."

Raoul seemed to grimace at the word "friend", but she couldn't find it in her to care. It was better to make him realize now, rather than hurt him more later.

"I had better be going actually. Are you going to be alright?"

She nodded, glumly. "Yes, I'll be fine. Thanks again Raoul."

He kissed her hand briefly, before walking away towards his carriage. Christine entered the house to find Frances at the top of the stairs.

"Miss. Your father's awake, and he's asking for you."

Christine followed Maria out the door and upstairs to her father's rooms. She felt some hope swell within her for the first time all day. If he was awake, that could only mean good news. Couldn't it?

She went over to his bed, and took his hand in hers, before sitting in the chair next to him.

"Papa?" She asked gingerly, hoping he was feeling better than before.

"Stina." He murmured his pet name for her. "That you?"

"Yes Papa, I'm here."

"Stina?" He sounded very weak, and disorientated. "Where am I?"

"You're at home Papa. You've been very ill, and we've all been very worried about you."

"You needn't worry about me, my dear. "I'll be with Rena soon, and the other angels."

"Don't say that! You're going to get better. I know you will." She almost broke down on the last sentence. Surely he must be getting better. He must be!

"Hush Stina." He smiled at her, squeezing her hand gently. "No more tears okay. It's my time. It's all part of God's plan Child."

She wiped her eyes furiously with her free hand, not wanting to accept that this was happening.

"Stina, listen to me child. There is something I wish to talk to you about before I go." Christine made to pretest, but he shushed her, and she said nothing. "I want to know how you feel about Erik Gaston."

Christine's eyes widened in shock. Just when she had gotten that man out of her head, her own father had to bring him up again.

"W…what do you mean Papa?"

Gustav managed a small laugh, which turned into a cough. "It's okay dear, you can tell me. You love him don't you?"

Christine could do nothing but stare at him. If her father knew how she felt, then how much did Erik know?

…………

Christine's sudden outburst had surprised Erik greatly. He had never seen her so angry before. She was always so calm and gentle, and rarely raised her voice for anything. What could possibly have caused her to shout and start crying like that? Had she and the Chagny boy had a fight? He felt like killing the boy for causing his angel any unhappiness. Pouring himself another drink of whiskey, he downed it in one, grimacing at the taste.

"Sir, may I speak with you?" Came Jacque's voice from outside the door.

"What is it Jacque?" Erik sighed. He hated being disturbed. "This had better be good."

Jacques entered the room, looking terribly nervous. "I was wondering sir, if perhaps you wished to visit Miss Daae? If you did, then I can prepare the carriage now."

"What do you mean Jacques?" Erik was confused and angry as he stood up to confront the now trembling Jacque. "Why would I wish to visit Christine?! And who are you to presume I would?! I think she made it quite clear she does not want to see me, as I am sure you heard."

"I know it's not my place sir," Jacque muttered, clearly terrified of the masked man glowering down on him ", but I know you must care for her." Jacque thought it best not to say the word "love". Even though it was plainly obvious for anyone to see how much Erik loved Christine, he obviously had no idea that he or anyone else knew. "And, well…what with her father dying, I thought you might want to see her."

"What!" Erik bellowed, causing a poor Jacque to practically jump out of his skin. "Her father is dying!? Why did you not say anything before? You said you saw her with de Chagny!"

"I did Sir, but I found out today that her father took a turn for the worse, and they think he is near the end."

Erik had never felt as terrible as he did at that moment. So that had been why she was so upset. It hadn't been de Chagny at all. He was the biggest idiot in the world. That must have been the reason why she didn't turn up for the lesson. He had been awful to her, and had made her cry. He groaned in despair. Even if she was getting together with de Chagny that was no reason to treat her as he had.

He was suddenly struck with another terrible thought.

_She thought I knew. _When she came round earlier, she had said she wanted to talk to him, and he had said he had no time. She had wanted to talk about her father, not Raoul! He had snapped at her that he knew where she was the day before. She must think he didn't care. There was no way in hell he deserved Christine now. He had treated her horribly, and all because he was a jealous fool.

He would have to go and see her, though he doubted she would want to see him. How would he ever explain to her what had happened without revealing his feelings to her. He would have to deal with that when the time came. He could not possibly leave her to deal with this on her own.

"Jacque!" He shouted. "Prepare the carriage!"

**Remember to review! **


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry about the long update gap. i've been away in a land of no internet! It was hard to survive, but I made it, and i'm back (:_

Erik's carriage driver was taking far too long to set everything up, and so Erik had simply set off on the back of his horse Caesar. This way he was much faster, and could take the short cut down to Christine's house through the woods.

As Erik approached Christine's house, he saw a sight which made his heart stop in his chest. His beloved angel in the arms of that boy. So she wasn't alone after all. He should have known, he thought angrily. Of course her lover would be with her. His own foolishness shocked him again as he saw them embracing in front of the house, not giving a damn for propriety. She most likely could not have cared less that he had been off with her during their lesson.

He was just about to turn around, and leave, when he saw de Chagny turn and walk away, a faintly annoyed look on his face. The bastard wasn't even staying with her. He waited until Raoul had ridden away in his carriage before he dismounted, tied Caesar up by a tree, and went after Christine.

After knocking for several minutes, he gave up, walked inside, and went upstairs, where he could hear voices coming from an open door.

"….It's okay my dear, you can tell me. You love him don't you?" Came the voice of Gustav Daae, Christine's father. Erik stood stock still outside the doorway, not wanting to announce his presence. He did not want to miss this conversation. Who did she love? It must be de Chagny. That was the only logical explanation. They were lovers after all. He awaited her answer, dreading it.

"Yes Papa, I do. I love him with all my heart." He could hear what sounded like despair in Christine's voice. "I have never loved anyone as I do him."

"I guessed as much." Gustav replied to his daughter.

Erik felt the despair swallow him up, and he closed his eyes in pain. The very last vesicle of hope had disappeared. She loved de Chagny, and it was only a matter of time before they married, and he took her away from him forever.

"That's so wonderful Child." Her father exclaimed, joy evident in his voice. "He is a good man, and will make you a fine husband."

For some reason, these words seemed to cause Christine to start sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh, there is no doubt about that Papa. The trouble is he doesn't feel the same for me. Much as I love him, I know he will never love me back."

Christine's words shocked Erik more than anything previous to them. What kind of fool could fail to love Christine? Had that boy slept with her, and then refused to marry her? Fury built up within him at the thought, and he wanted to kill that boy with his bare hands.

"Don't be silly Stina, he loves you. I may be an old man, but that doesn't mean I know nothing about love. "He loves you, I'm sure of it. I see the way he looks at you. He is just as in love with you as you are with him, if not more so."

"You're just saying that! He doesn't. I think I would know about it, seeing as I have been in love with him since the day I met him."

"Believe me Stina, I know what I am talking about. Now, I want you to promise me something."

"Anything, Papa."

"I want you to tell him how you feel. Will you do that for me Child?"

"You want me to do what!" Erik heard Christine screech. "Papa, I can't do that!"

"Yes you can, and you will!" Gustav told her firmly. "What have you got to lose dear? If I'm wrong, then you can...oh I don't know, bury me at sea."

"Papa! Stop it!" Gustav hated the sea. "You really think he loves me?"

"I know so. He would have to be the biggest fool in the world not to love my little girl. Now, do you promise you will tell him."

"Yes Papa, I promise."

At this point, Erik should have left, but he knew she needed someone with her. Even if he wouldn't have been her first choice, he couldn't leave her, but neither could he simply go in there. She would know that he had overheard her conversation with her father, and would probably guess his feelings due to the tears in his eyes, even though the mask did cover up most of his facial expressions. His decision of what do was made for him however, and the door to the room swung open, and there stood Christine, her eyes red and puffy.

……….

Christine couldn't stop the tears as her father spoke to her. First her dear Papa was dying, and now she had to tell Erik that she loved him. Changes are she would end up losing the two men she loved in the space of a very short time.

"I'm feeling a little tired now, dear. I would like to sleep a while." Gustav closed his eyes, and sighed wearily. "You do promise don't you."

"Yes." She whispered. "I promise."

She tiptoed over towards the door, not wanting to wake her father, and opened the door. The gasped in shock as she saw Erik standing in the doorway. Perhaps she wouldn't have to say anything to him at all. Judging from his face, however, her father was wrong, and he most certainly didn't return the feelings.

"Erik I… What are you doing here?"

"Christine, I'm sorry. I had no idea about your father. I thought…oh it doesn't matter what I thought. I am so sorry about how I acted this morning. If I had known about your father then I would not have acted like that. Can you ever forgive me?" Erik was terrified of Christine's reaction. What if she didn't believe him? What if she never wanted to see him again? The thought was too much to bare.

"You didn't know." Christine frowned, confused. "But you said you knew where I was yesterday."

"I thought you were…somewhere else." He trailed off, not knowing quite how to finish that sentence. "I doesn't matter now."

She walked past him out the door, not looking at him. Frankly, she didn't care about this morning any more. Other more important matters had taken precedence over it. One of them being the conversation he had just overheard, which he still hadn't said a word about.

She led Erik into the sitting room, and they sat down together on one of the large soft sofas.

After a couple of minutes silence, Christine finally spoke. "Did you hear anything of what I was saying to my father?"

"Yes." Erik replied. "Everything."

"Oh." Christine closed her eyes in pain, and tried as best as she could not to allow even more tears to flow. Idiot that she was, her father's words had brought her a tiny ray of hope. It was clear now her father had been wrong. He would have said if he felt anything akin to love for her, but instead there was only silence between them. She sniffed, but her attempt to stem the tears was useless however, and two tear drops escaped her tightly held eyelids, and rolled down her cheeks. They seemed to have released a flood, as the next minute, she was sobbing once more. She had never cried this much in one day for so many different reasons. Surely she would run out of tears soon.

Would he leave now, abandoning her forever, as she had dreaded for so long? What she didn't expect was for Erik to move further up the sofa towards her, and put his arm around her. Did he think he could just try to comfort her, and everything would be alright? That he could just say "There there, sorry I don't love you, but you'll get over it." She would take it though. She would take everything he was willing to offer, she loved him so much.

"It's okay Christine. Everything will be alright." Erik whispered, soothingly.

Christine couldn't control herself anymore. She turned around, and flung herself into his arms, and wept. She wept for her father, who was soon to be taken away from her, she wept for her unrequited love for this man, and the injustice of it all. Erik simply held her, rocking her slightly in his arms. She could stay in his arms forever, and never grow tired of him. It felt so good to be there, and after a few minutes of silent crying, she began to drift off in his arms, loving the comforting smell that was purely Erik.

………

Erik was in agony as he held his beloved Christine in his arms for what would most likely be the first and last time. Her body was wracked with sobs, as she cried over another man. How could that fool de Chagny possibly have rejected her. The boy deserved to die for causing his Christine any sort of unhappiness. The whole scenario seemed so unlikely though. Christine surely must be mistaken, in the midst of some tragic misunderstanding. Of course Raoul loved her. He himself had been trying to deny the fact for far too long. Oh, if only she could love him. He could make her happy, if only she would let him. There was nothing in the world he would not do to make her happy. His arms tightened around her, and he knew that when it came to letting her go, it would be the hardest thing he would ever have to do. He held her for a long time, before he realized her sobs had subsided, and she had fallen asleep. Slowly, so as not to wake her, he extracted her from his arms, and laid her gently on the sofa, and covered her with a blanket.

Before he left, he wrote her a not, and left it on the table. He would have to begin arrangements to leave St Simone. There was no way he could stay here and watch the woman he loved marry another man, as he was sure that would happen. Of course de Chagny would return Christine's feelings. What man wouldn't? They would declare their feelings for each other, and would be engaged, and married within the month, and Erik knew he would not be able to live with the pain.

………

Christine woke with a start, her neck killing her. Had she really fallen asleep whilst crying in Erik's arms? Oh, but he had felt so good. To be in his arms was something she had dreamt about for years, but she had not imagined it would be in these circumstances. She had felt so safe and protected in his arms that she had felt herself Succumb to the weariness which she hadn't realized she felt, and had fallen asleep. She had not slept properly in days, and Erik had make a wonderful pillow. The next thing she knew, she was waking up, lying on the sofa and Erik was gone.

She was just about the get up and leaves the room, when she saw a folded up piece of paper on the coffee table.

_Dear Christine, _

_Again, I am terribly sorry about everything that happened. Know that I will always be here for you if you find you should need me. _

_Forever yours, Erik, _

What on earth did he mean by that? How could he always be there for her when he was the cause of all her problems, and he had made it perfectly clear he was not hers! The nerve of the man.

She folded up the note never the less, and slipped it into her skirts. Sighing, she decided to go and check on her father.

"Papa?" She approached the bed warily, unsure if he was still asleep. "Papa, I think we need to talk. I'm afraid you were wrong about Erik." She received no answer, so she she sat next to him, and took his hand.

"Papa?" She was getting worried now, as he was usually a very light sleeper. "Papa, wake up."

He still did not move as she shook him. Her hand trembled, as she felt his wrist for a pulse. Even more fresh tears ran down her face as she realized he was dead. He had never known how wrong he had been about Erik. Perhaps it was better this way. At least he died thinking she had found someone who loved her at last.

Her crying was interrupted, as a pair of strong arms came around her back, and held her close to a warm hard body.

"Erik?" She stood up, and turned around to face him, before stepping into his arms once more.. "I thought you'd gone." She spoke into his chest

"I'll never leave you Christine. For as long as you want me, I'll be here for you."

Erik pulled her from the room, wrapping his arms around her to steady her.

"I don't want you to worry about anything my dear. I will sort everything out, okay."

"Thank you Erik." She managed a small watery smile as he led her downstairs.

………

The next week was hectic. Erik was true to his word, and he organized everything. He helped Christine sorting the funeral arrangements, and held her in his arms when she cried. She had never loved him or needed him more in that week. He was by her side through it all, yet never had he seemed so distant. He never once mentioned what he had overheard between her and her father, and Christine feared it was only a matter of time before he left her for good.

Erik was shattered. It had been a very busy week, and he barely slept in all of it. The funeral was the next day, and Christine had insisted he go home to rest. Seeing as de Chagny was nowhere to be found, he felt as if there was no way he could leave Christine to deal with her father's death alone. Even though this must be a terrible time for her, he couldn't help but feel slight hope that Christine may be able to see him in a new light over the past week. Perhaps she may come to love him in time. She hadn't mentioned de Chagny once during the entire week, and perhaps his absence would make her realize he was not the man she was destined to be with after all. He knew he was a fool to hope for such a thing, but hope he still did.

**Remember to review! The misunderstandings will be cleared up much faster of you do. =-)**


	5. Chapter 5

_Yes, i'm evil, and i apologize for update gap. This is nearly finished now. Hope you enjoy! _

It was the morning after the funeral, and Christine was alone in the sitting room. Erik had left a few hours ago at her insistence. She needed time to collect her thoughts together. Erik still hadn't mentioned anything to do with what he heard, and it proved beyond any doubt that he felt nothing for her other than slight affection and a responsibility to stay with her after her father's death. What she would do now, she didn't know. Perhaps she should travel to Paris after all, and try her best to move on. There was nothing left for her in St Simone at all now.

A light knock came at the door at that moment, and Maria entered. "I'm sorry to disturb you Miss, but you have a visitor."

"Who is it?" She was sure the hope was evident in her voice. Could he possibly have come back, even after she had insisted he go home?

"It's Raoul de Chagny Miss Christine."

The disappointment washed over her in waves. She felt bad as Raoul came into the room, looking terribly nervous.

"Hello Raoul." She tried to sound happy to see him, but could barely muster the effort.

"Christine, I am so sorry about your father." Raoul came over to her, and sat beside her on the sofa. "I wanted to talk to you at the funeral, but you were with Erik, and well the time never seemed right."

"That's okay Raoul. You don't need to apologize."

"Yes, I do Christine. I feel terrible." Raoul kept his gaze cast down, not looking at her. "My father dragged me away for the week, and so I had no idea about what happened."

"Raoul, please stop fretting." Christine waved her hand under his face to get him to look at her. "I had Erik. He's been fantastic."

Raoul couldn't help but notice the wistful look in her eyes as she spoke of Erik. Perhaps he was being stupid even contemplating what he was about to do.

"Christine, I realize that this is a very hard time for you, but I can contain my feelings no longer." Raoul stood up, and went to his knee in front of her, having produced a huge diamond ring. "I love you, Christine. Will you marry me?"

Christine stared at him, flabbergasted. "Oh Raoul, I can't." She moaned, hating having to hurt him like this. Even though there was no way she could have Erik, she still could not settle for anyone else. It was Erik or no one.

"Please, consider my proposal Christine. I know you don't love me, but I can offer you everything you've ever dreamed of. You want to go to Paris don't you? Well I can arrange that. I have a house there, and I know one of the managers at the opera, and he can get you an audition. Think about it Christine."

"Raoul, I…" She had been fully prepared to reject his proposal outright, but she began to think about it. Perhaps she should marry Raoul. She knew he loved her, and she did care for him on some level. It would make traveling to Paris a lot easier if it were with Raoul.

"You don't have to answer now. Take as long as you like to decide." He kissed her briefly on the hand, and stood up to leave.

Why did men always manage to pick the worst possible times to do everything? Now on top of everything else, she felt terrible for Raoul. She wished her father was still here. He would know what she should do, where as she had no idea whatsoever.

……….

Erik had thought things could not possibly get any worse, but he was proved very wrong. He had been the biggest fool in the world for even thinking Christine could care for him. Just yesterday, he had heard from Jacque about de Chagny's plan to propose to Christine. Nothing was a secret in St Simone for long. By now surely he would have asked her, and she would have accepted. Would they travel to Paris, or stay here? Whatever they did, he knew he couldn't stay here any longer. He had never stayed anywhere as long as he had stayed in St Simone. Perhaps he could go back to Persia, or somewhere different. If he stayed in St Simone, he would only be tormented with memories of his time with Christine.

St Simone had come a long way since he had arrived, and it no longer needed him. No one needed him, and they never would. It was time to leave, and he would not look back. Of course he would never forget Christine. That was not possible. He would always remember her, and he would always love her, until the day he died. Perhaps in moving away, he may be able to form some sort of a life, and in time the memory of her would fade.

"Jacque!" he called out to his servant.

"Yes sir." Jacque entered the room.

"Jacque, I'm leaving St Simone, and I want you to prepare my carriage.

"You're leaving! Why?"

"Jacque, I' don't think it's any of your business why." Erik sighed. "If you must know, I have come the realization that I have outstayed my welcome here, and there is nothing left to keep me."

"What about Christine?"

Erik turned around to face him, furious. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry Sir, but I have to say something. I've worked for you for nearly fifteen years now, and I believe we have become friends. I know how you feel about Miss Daae, and I believe she feels the same."

"You have no idea what you are talking about Jacque. Christine doesn't love me." His anger at Jacque was gone in an instant. He was only trying to help.

"Still, I think you should go and see her. At least just to say goodbye."

"I suppose you're right." Erik sighed. He had to see her again, just once. He knew he would never forget her, as every aspect of her was embedded in his soul, but he needed to see her again, one last time.

Erik decided to visit Christine once more on Caesar. He wasn't sure how long he would be there, and didn't want to have to make the carriage driver wait. If truth be told, he was hoping his last meeting with Christine to last as long as possible. Forever perhaps?

……..

Two hours after Raoul had left, Christine still had come no further in her decision. On the one hand, if she married Raoul, she would be able to travel to Paris with him, be secured an audition at the opera house, and have a loving husband to boot. She should be grateful. Raoul was the kind of man women swooned over. Many of her friend's would have given anything for even a cursory glance from him. It appeared that it was her he loved however, and he would make a good husband. That she knew. But on the other hand, was it really fair on Raoul, to marry him, when she knew she would never love him as he deserved. She would forever be thinking of Erik, and as a consequence would never be happy.

She heard a knock on the main door, but thought nothing of it. If that was Raoul, he would have to wait. She couldn't answer yet. She was facing the window when she heard a knock at the door to the sitting room, before it opened.

"Raoul, I still need more….." She span around to face him, only to forget what it was she had been about to say. Erik stood in the doorway, looking at her intensely.

"Erik! I thought you were Raoul."

"Evidently." He replied. Was it just her, or was he in pain. His eyes always held pain, and she had been determined to take that pain away. It appeared she had been unsuccessful in that, as he looked like he was in agony.

"I' ve come to tell you that I'm going to be leaving St Simone Christine. I thought I would come to say goodbye." His voice was strained as he spoke, as if trying to restrain some great emotion.

"You're leaving. But why?" The day she had dreaded was finally here. He was leaving her. Her heart began to pound in her chest, and the silence that thundered round them made her sure he could hear it.

"I've come to realize there is nothing left here for me, and it's time I moved on."

Christine had had enough of crying at her misfortune, and anger began to build up inside her.

"You are just like the rest of them aren't you!" She yelled, as she approached him. "You don't care about anyone but yourself!"

"What are…"

"No! You are going to listen to me Erik Gaston! I have been through a lot this past week, and yes, you have been a great help, and for that I am thankful, but now I am starting to wonder why you even bothered!"

"I did it because I care about you so much Christine."

"You've got a funny way of showing it! You know exactly how I feel about you Erik, and you haven't mentioned it once! I think that makes it perfectly clear where you stand on the subject!" Christine took a deep breath, as the tears of despair and anger began to fall. She was on a role now, and wasn't going to stop for anyone. "And now you're leaving, and you don't even care how that will affect me!"

Throughout Christine's raging, Erik remained calm. "You'll be fine Christine. You have Raoul, why would my leaving bother you."

"Raoul!? What has Raoul got to do with anything!? I couldn't give a flying fig about Raoul, so why should he help me."

Erik began to feel the anger build up in himself. Now she was lying about her feelings for Raoul. Did she think he didn't know. "That's strange, because I was under the impression you were in love with him!"

"Now where would you get an idiotic idea like that!? I have never said I loved Raoul! Not once!"

"Yes you did Christine! To your father. I heard everything, if you don't remember!"

"You heard me…" Christine stopped shouting mid sentence. He thought she was telling her father she loved Raoul? She was very confused now. If he hadn't known they had been talking about him, then he didn't know about her love for him. Of course he wouldn't have mentioned it, as he thought she loved Raoul. On the other hand, why wouldn't he have mentioned it? surely he would be happy if she had fallen in love with someone like Raoul? Surely he would have wished to congratulate her.

"I wasn't talking about Raoul." She frowned, trying to piece together what was going on.

"You weren't talking about Raoul?" Erik too was confused now. If she hadn't been talking about Raoul, then who had she been talking about? Surely not that Percival Simmons! That man was worse than Raoul, and could never make his beloved Christine happy. Then again, no man was good enough for her.

"Then who were you talking about?"

There was a long pause, whilst Christine thought about her answer. She thought about lying, but who could she say she loved without evoking more questions. She eventually decided on the truth. He might as well know, seeing as he was leaving anyway.

"You." She said simply, before gazing into his eyes, all her suppressed love clearly evident in her voice and eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

The silence which followed her statement seemed to last forever. _Please just say something. _She begged silently. _Anything!_

"Me?" He finally said, in a strained voice, laced with what sounded like hope.

"Yes." She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the moment when he left her for good. Now he knew, he would surely go and would never come back.

When she opened her eyes, she realized he had not left, but had in fact come to stand closer to her, and was staring at her intensely.

"Say that again." He whispered.

"Why?" She hiccupped. "You're only going to leave anyway."

"I'll never leave you Christine." Erik declared passionately. Her recent declaration had hit him like a ton of bricks. She loved him! He must have heard wrong. Either that or he was in the middle of some wonderful dream. Could it possibly be real? Could he possibly have been so completely mistaken about her feelings?

"But you said you were going to leave." She sniffed loudly. She couldn't believe the last time Erik saw her, she looked like a total mess. She did not cry prettily. Her nose would be red, and her eyes would be puffy.

Erik wanted to take her in his arms and hold her forever, but the time wasn't quite right yet. "That was before I heard that you loved me." Erik smiled weakly. Just saying it made his heart sing. Could all this really be happening?

"So you pity me now do you! Well if that's the only reason you have to stay, then you can bloody leave right now!"

"Pity you?" He laughed, and rolled his eyes "Come here Christine." He held open his arms, and she stepped into them, and they closed tightly around her. "You think I pity you?" The thought was laughable. "Oh how wrong you are my dear." Even now, after he knew that she loved him, he couldn't say the words himself. He had loved her for so long, and he had grown used to loving her from afar. All this was just too much to take in.

"I'm so sorry." She whimpered, as she burrowed her face in his chest. He always smelled so good, and after this moment, she would never know his scent again. "I know you don't love me back, and that's alright. You don't have to stay. Raoul has proposed to me. He says he can take me to Paris. I'll be fine"

"Like hell he will!" Erik suddenly bellowed, causing Christine to leap out of her skin, and fly backwards, out of his arms. "I will not lose you now Christine!"

"What do you mean? You don't want me, so why shouldn't I marry Raoul?"

Erik grabbed her shoulders, and forced her to look at him.

"Because he will never love you like I do." There he had said it. He had finally told her he loved her.

Christine reared back once more, unable to believe what she had just heard.

"Y…you love me?"

"Christine, I have always loved you." He whispered intensely.

Christine felt a huge smile grow across her face. Erik loved her! This had to be a dream. It couldn't be real, could it?

"You can't mean that. You're just saying it!"

"I never say anything I don't mean Christine. I was leaving today, because of my love for you, as I thought you would never feel the same for me."

"What are you saying? Of course I feel the same."

"I thought you were marrying Raoul, and I couldn't bare it. Oh God Christine, I love you so much." He declared before dragging her back into his arms, and holding her tight to his chest. She could feel his heart beating going at the same pace as her own.

Christine half laughed, half sobbed as she replied "I love you too." Not knowing what else to say in reply to this miracle.

"I can't believe we have both been so stupid." Erik laughed. Christine had never heard him laugh like that before. He had such a beautiful laugh. Like soft music caressing her skin, and making her shiver in delight. "So you were talking about me to your father?" Erik asked in wonder. He tried to recall that conversation. He had tried to block out most of it, as it was too painful.

"Yes. I thought you knew that, and I took your silence as proof you didn't feel the same. That was why I was so upset when I came out of my father's room."

"Oh Christine. If only I'd know then. We would have been saved so much confusion."

Christine leaned back slightly in his arms, so she could see his face and smiled, begging him silently to do what she had dreamt about for so long.

_Please kiss me, please!_

Erik seemed better at reading her signals, as he happily obliged her, and sealed his lips over hers. A million years of waiting would have been worth it, such was the joy of finally being able to kiss him. It started off gentle, with only a slight pressure from his lips, but slowly he deepened it until they were kissing more and more passionately. His arms came around her waist, and his hands moved up into her hair as he deepened the kiss even more, slipping his tongue into her mouth, and causing her to moan in desire. Never had anything felt so wonderful, and never had she been so happy.

They kissed for what felt for Erik like hours. For so long he had dreamt of doing this with Christine, and for so long he had resigned himself to it never happening. Christine Daae loved him! _Him! _Everything from the past few weeks began to fall into place. Christine's behavior that lesson where she had run off in tears was because she loved him, and thought he didn't return her feeling. She had been talking about _him_ to her father. His delirious happiness was broken by a terrible thought, and he broke the kiss, all be it reluctantly.

"Christine, you don't know what is behind my mask."

"And I don't care." She kissed him again, briefly. " We have a life time together for you to show me." She stroked his masked face gently, and smiled watery up at him, as tears of happiness began to form in her eyes. "I just want you to know, that what you look like doesn't matter to me. I love you, and nothing can change that."

"But you don't know…You haven't seen…"

Christine silenced him with a kiss, and then gave him a look which brooked no argument.

"I just told you it doesn't matter, and that's the end of it. You'll show me when you're ready, and that's fine with me. I fell in love with _you _Erik, not your face."

……

Erik and Christine had moved over to the large arm chair by the window, where she lay curled up in his arms. He had never been so happy in his life. To think a few short minutes ago he thought his life was over, and that he would never see his Christine again.

"I love you." She murmered.

"I love you more." He declared, giving her another brief, but passionate kiss. "I have loved you for over seven years my dear. Try and beat that."

Christine grinned. "With ease my dearest. I have loved you for 15 years." She kissed him again, and wrapped her arms even tighter around him.

"Fifteen years! That's as long as I've lived here. You can't have."

"I have. I believe I loved you from the minute I first met you. You were so kind and strong, and you said I could sing. I was thrilled. No one ever talked to me as you did. As if my opinion actually mattered. As if _I_ actually mattered."

Erik was still trying to get his head around the fact that Christine loved him, and had apparently done so for even longer than he did, when there came a loud knock at the door, and who should walk in on them but a very flustered looking Raoul de Chagny.

_There! Hope you all are satisfied. sorry it's rather short, but i'm struggling with finishing it off. I need to write a good conclusion still. _


	7. Chapter 7

_For some reason I decided to go back to this story even though it is so cheesy. I will be updating the eye of the beholder again soon, but I decided to try and finish this one aswell. _

"Christine! What are you…?" Raoul stopped where he was in the doorway, staring at the two of them. "What is going on here?"

Christine stepped out of Erik's arms and stared at Raoul. This was slightly awkward. "Raoul. What are you doing here?"

"I've come to get your answer, but I think I already know what it is." He looked dejectedly from Christine to Erik. "You two are together now?"

Christine nodded, turning to smile at Erik, and then back to Raoul. As happy as she was, she couldn't help feeling guilty. She knew that Raoul had cared for her for a long time, and he had wanted to marry her.

"I feared something like this would happen." Raoul looked down at his feet. "Do you love her?" He asked Erik.

"I love her more than life itself." Erik stared lovingly at Christine. Christine stared back at him, and both of them seemed to have forgotten that Raoul was still in the room. After a few moments he had to cough to get their attention.

"I guess I'll just be leaving then." Looking morose, Raoul slipped out of the room, leaving Erik and Christine alone. As soon as he was gone, they fell back into each other's arms once more.

"I can't believe this is happening." Erik moaned in-between kisses. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Christine replied, grinning broadly.

"So you don't wish you were with Raoul?"

Christine leaned back and gave him a piercing look. "Seeing as I have been in love with only you for almost all my life I doubt I will be changing my mind."

"Christine I…" He suddenly looked nervous and began fidgeting. "I need to ask you something. You don't have to answer now, and I'll understand if you say no. Just because you love me doesn't mean you want to do that. Christ knows what the village would say."

"Erik, you're rambling." Christine giggled at him. "What do you want ask me?" She felt that she already knew, and he heart was hammering.

Erik closed his eyes, not wanting to see the doubt in her eyes when he asked. "Christine, will you be my wife? Please, don't answer yet. I want you to think about it. I love you so much and…"

"Yes."

"What…what did you say?"

"I was growing tired of you mumbling so I decided to put a stop to it. Of course I will marry you, you fool! What on earth made you think I would say no?"

"I just wasn't sure whether you would want to, because of what the village would say. You are the most beautiful woman here, and everyone knows it. They will be shocked to say the least if you marry me."

"Erik." Christine felt close to tears listening to him. How could he ever think she wouldn't be proud to be his wife? "Nothing in this world could make me happier than to be your wife, and if you think I give a damn about what anyone in this village thinks then perhaps you don't know me at all."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him passionately. He moaned in pleasure as he cupped her face and kissed her back with all his heart.

"I can't believe this. I think I might be dreaming."

"God, I hope this isn't a dream. If so it's the best dream I've ever had."

"I'm sorry my love but I don't have a ring to give you."

"I don't care." Christine murmured, giving him one more kiss. "All I want is you. When can we get married? I don't care about a big wedding. I just want to be married to you as soon as possible."

"I feel the same. I would marry you today if I could." Erik said. "How about next week?"

"Next week! But what about booking the church, and my dress, and everything else we need to prepare?"

"I thought you wanted to get married as soon as possible. I will have to apply for a special license, but I think it can be done." Erik grinned at Christine's shocked look.

"Perhaps I should have said humanly possible."

"Alright, how about in two weeks? Surely that will give you enough time to get dresses and flowers and whatever else these things involve."

"It'll be hectic, but I'm sure we can do it."

……….

The next few weeks were indeed hectic. Luckily Christine managed to find a dress which she loved when she went into Paris the next day. Erik had managed to persuade the village priest Father Johnson to perform the ceremony in two weeks time. The time passed like a flash and Christine had never been so excited and happy in all her life. Her great Aunt Lydia had come to live at Christine's house after her father's funeral to act as her guardian and chaperone until she was married. This fact made Christine long to be married even more. Though at heart a kind woman, Aunt Lydia was infuriatingly annoying, and never knew when to shut up. Thankfully when she wasn't talking she was sleeping, which seemed to be most of the time now. This meant that Christine could be alone with Erik a lot of the time, and she didn't have to live without his kisses. At times she felt a stab of sadness that her father wasn't here to see her get married, but she knew he would be watching her and that comforted her somewhat.

The evening before the wedding, Christine was sat in her house, and feeling particularly sad about her father. She was looking through piles if his old belongings, and trying to sum up the courage to throw things away. After the wedding she would be living with Erik, so she needed to clear out the house. It was a lot harder than she thought it would be, and she was feeling very emotional.

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, and a pair of lips cares her neck. Turning around, she buried her face in his chest, and sobbed. "I miss him so much, Erik."

"I know darling." He rubbed her back gently, and kissed the top of her head. "I know it's hard now but things will get easier, I promise."

She turned her head so that she was resting it against his chest. He felt so warm and comforting. How did he manage to make her feel so much better with just a hug and a few words?

"Would you like me to help you?" He tipped her chin slightly so he could see into her face.

"Thank you. That would be nice."

He sat down on the floor with her and helped her to sort through the piles of papers and clothes. A lot of the paper was music scores that he had written years ago, and long since abandoned. Christine was thrilled when Erik said he would like to keep them. It had been a long time since she had heard her father's music, and she knew Erik would do it justice. At the end of the evening they had sorted all of her father's things into piles of things to give away and things to keep. Erik was such a big help when it came to deciding what to keep and what not too. In the end she was able to narrow it down to just those items which held the most sentimental value.

"Oh Erik you've been such a great help. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you." She told him later, as they lay on the couch together by the fire.

"Think nothing of it my love. Now I think you should be getting to bed. You've had a long day, and we have a big day tomorrow."

"Mmmm." Christine groaned, and burrowed closer into him. She was so comfortable where she was, and didn't want to move. At present she hated the nights, as that was when Erik had to leave, and she was alone. She couldn't wait until the following night and every night after when she could be with Erik all the time. Whenever she thought about what would happen in the marriage bed she felt a jolt of excitement mixed with nerves. She had very little knowledge of the doings of husbands and wives, apart from that kissing and hugging was involved. She loved both those things, but that didn't stop her from being slightly fearful. She knew beyond any doubt that she loved Erik with all her heart, and whatever was to come tomorrow night, he would make it wonderful.

"Come on." Erik laughed. "I can't stay here any longer. It's nearly tomorrow, and you know I can't see you before the wedding."

Christine snorted in a very unladylike fashion. "I never thought you believed in superstition?"

"I don't, but I know you do. Now don't you need your beauty sleep?"

Christine gave him an affronted look. "Are you saying I look bad if I don't get enough sleep?"

"You are always beautiful my love, but you don't want to be tired for our big day do you?"

"I guess not." She yawned, and started to get up. "You had better be going before it gets to midnight then."

They shared one last passionate kiss before Erik left.

As Christine lay in bed that night she thought that Erik may as well have stayed longer. She was not going to get a wink of sleep, and spent the entire night tossing and turning. Eventually, when it got to six in the morning, she decided to get up and begin getting ready. The wedding was at midday, but there was a lot to do, and she couldn't bear to stay in bed any longer. When she deemed enough time had passed before the rest of the house was awake, she rang for her maid to help her prepare.

In the end it took a lot longer for her to get ready than she originally planned. Christine had grown tired of being called beautiful all her life, and had often tried to downplay her physical attributes to try any take the attention off her when she went into public. On this day however, she wanted to look as beautiful as she possibly could for her soon to be husband. All of the female staff in the house had crowded into her room, and helped her with her makeup and hair. Seeing as she didn't have any female friends in the village, she had grown close to a lot of them over the years, and she had of lot of fun getting ready for her wedding.

When midday arrived Christine's nerves had built so that she was feeling almost nauseous. She gave her reflection one last glance in the mirror and took a deep breath. Even she thought that she didn't look too bad today. Her blonde curls were piled up on top of her head with the odd tendril caressing her neck, and her makeup was expertly applied to look as natural as possible. Her dress was made of ivory silk, and hugged her curves flatteringly. She thought it was perhaps a little low in the front, and the bodice pushed her breasts up so her cleavage was clearly visible. She knew that Erik would adore it though, she thought with a blush. She gave the beaming maid one last smile before she made her way down the stairs and out of the house.

She was a little sad to be leaving the house for the last time. It held a lot of memories of her father and of her mother before she had died. She knew that after she was married the place would pass onto Erik, and after a talk they had decided to sell it. They had both deemed it a good idea, seeing as they wouldn't be living there, and the staff would lose their jobs if the house wasn't lived in. Christine much preferred the idea of another family living there over it becoming derelict.

………….

As Erik stood waiting for his bride in the chapel, he was growing more and more nervous. It seemed like the entire village had turned up for the wedding. Erik knew the reason was mere curiosity rather than anything else, but he didn't care. They could gawk all they wanted. Christine was his and that was all that mattered. He smiled to himself as he saw various men scattered through the seats looking very miserable. No doubt every last one of them was morning the loss of the most beautiful woman in the world, and the thought made Erik jubilant with happiness. He still could not believe that Christine was finally going to be his. Perhaps he never truly would.

When the music began and Erik saw Christine gliding towards him in a dress that made her look more like an angel than ever before, he swore he forgot to breath, such was his awe of her beauty. Never had he seen such a beautiful sight in all his life. The hair which escaped its style caressed her face in a way that he longed to do, and her breasts were glorious in her flowing white gown. He knew that every man in the room was staring at her in the same way, but instead of his usual jealousy he felt nothing but joy. How could he possibly feel jealous when she was about to become his wife? They were the jealous ones, and Erik almost laughed at the thought. He had never thought that he would be the object of other men's jealousies, but he knew that every single one of those single men wanted to be in his shoes at that moment, and for the first time in his life Erik would have been no one but himself.

Christine felt all her nerves lift away when she saw Erik stood at the altar. It was all she could do not to run the rest of the way and throw her arms around him. That would of course be totally inappropriate. When she did reach his side, she smiled brightly at him, and almost started crying when he took her hand and kissed it. Christine couldn't believe how much she loved this man, and that after all these years her dream of becoming his wife was finally coming true.

"Dearly Beloved…." The priest began the ceremony that would join them together forever.

_Yep I told you it was cheesy. I needed to get in the fluffy mood for my other story anyway. Review please and updates for both my stories will come quicker!! _


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